Deaf Initiative

Only two percent of the 70 million Deaf worldwide have been introduced to Jesus.* Many of these least-reached people are separated from the larger Hearing society around them, and as a result have even fewer opportunities to learn of the good news. Often, they don’t have access to the educational opportunities and job prospects available to the Hearing and lack equal rights. In some cultures, being deaf is seen as a curse, and members of the Deaf community are neglected by and isolated from those who can hear.

Simply bringing the gospel to these places isn’t enough. Even if a Deaf person lives in a community with many churches, a significant number of Christians and access to printed Scripture, he or she is unlikely to be reached with the gospel. Because Deaf communities have distinct languages, cultures and worldviews, to effectively reach them we need to send followers of Christ who can be accepted in Deaf society and utilize culturally appropriate, proven methods to communicate the gospel in their sign languages.

Christar is seeking to reach the Deaf with the hope of the gospel! We desire to plant churches among the Deaf who are living amid populations of Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists for the same reason we serve among Hearing peoples: God has promised there will be people from every nation, tribe, people and language (including sign languages) worshiping around the throne of God. We align ourselves with the promise that salvation in Christ is not just for the Hearing, but for the Deaf as well.

Through the Deaf Initiative, Christar is expanding its church-planting efforts to include reaching the Deaf with the good news. Your gift will help us identify and train new workers to serve among the Deaf and bring the gospel to these often hidden least-reached people.

Reaching the Deaf in the Balkans and Beyond

As part of its goal to see the Deaf around the world reached with the message of Christ, Christar is seeking to embrace a unique opportunity to minister to the Deaf in the Balkans while creating a model for sharing the gospel that could be used among the least-reached Deaf in other areas as well.

Several of the very few Deaf believers in this region are eager to be involved in taking the good news of Jesus to others who haven’t yet been introduced to Him. Christar is mobilizing and equipping them to form a team that will develop approximately 30 sign language Bible stories that will enable them to easily communicate core gospel concepts in a way that’s relevant in Deaf culture.

Due to the similarities between sign languages, these stories will be easily adaptable into the languages of Deaf communities throughout the Balkans. Once they’ve been created, the team will take a five-month tour of several countries to tell these stories and teach them to others. By God’s grace, this team will lay a foundation for Deaf churches in these countries as many people are exposed to the gospel for the first time.

In addition to making the gospel known throughout the region, this initiative will also provide a reproduceable model for ministry among the Deaf in least-reached communities around the world. It’s our prayer that the stories and method used by the team in the Balkans will be used by workers in many communities across the globe, bring the light of Christ to people who don’t yet know His transformative grace.

Participate by Praying for the Deaf Initiative:

Ask God to raise up workers with a passion to reach the Deaf and the ability to enter their communities.

Pray that believers in Deaf churches will have a burden for Deaf communities around the world.

Ask God to enable Christar to effectively collaborate with other organizations ministering among the Deaf.

Pray for wisdom as Christar seeks to effectively bring the gospel to Deaf communities.

Ask God to provide the funds needed to mobilize a team of Deaf believers to build a model for ministry among the Deaf in the Balkans and beyond.